# Two Cemetery Related Questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 28, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-cemetery-related-questions/594407 "2011-08-28T19:15:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![EarlyMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@EarlyMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlyMan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-cemetery-related-questions/594407/1 "2011-08-28T19:15:10Z")
Hi Gang - This is my first post. I just know someone here will have an answer. I visited an old cemetery in Nova Scotia recently. While reading the inscriptions on the headstones, I came up with 2 questions. 1. When you are reading a headstone, is the person buried under your feet, or are they buried opposite the side of the headstone with the inscription? 2. If someone were to dig up an old grave (100+ years old), would there be anything left of the body? My wife thinks that at the very least there should be some teeth left (assuming they had any at the time of their burial)! I guessing that people were buried in wooden coffins back then. Also, I imagine a body buried in the desert might fare better than a body buried in Nova Scotia, so I’m asking about someone buried in Nova Scotia. Don’t worry, I have no immediate plans to take up grave robbing, I’m just curious! 😃 EarlyMan ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-cemetery-related-questions/594407/2 "2011-08-28T19:32:45Z")
Welcome. 1. Usually they’re under your feet. I base this on having been to cemeteries with freshly dug graves, and they’re always in front of the stone. I’ve also been to many cemeteries where the stones were back-to-back, so it’s obvious that the residents are under the front of the stone. 2. Best answer would be, “It depends”. I’d venture to guess that there’d be bones as well as teeth, especially after only a hundred years or so. ---
**Author:** ![EarlyMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@EarlyMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EarlyMan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-cemetery-related-questions/594407/3 "2011-08-28T19:59:50Z")
> [@postcards](#): > > Welcome. > > 1. Usually they’re under your feet. I base this on having been to cemeteries with freshly dug graves, and they’re always in front of the stone. I’ve also been to many cemeteries where the stones were back-to-back, so it’s obvious that the residents are under the front of the stone. > > 2. Best answer would be, “It depends”. I’d venture to guess that there’d be bones as well as teeth, especially after only a hundred years or so. Hey - My first thought was with yours, that the body was under my feet when reading the inscription side. However, I noticed on some graves that there was a small limestone marker with the initials of the deceased sticking out of the ground about 6 feet \*\*\*behind \*\*\*the side of the stone with the inscription on it. That’s what made me start wondering which side of the headstone the body was buried on. :dubious: EarlyMan ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-cemetery-related-questions/594407/4 "2011-08-28T20:05:56Z")
> [@EarlyMan](#): > > 1. If someone were to dig up an old grave (100+ years old), would there be anything left of the body? Just had my son get the shovel out of the garage. Will report back shortly! ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-cemetery-related-questions/594407/5 "2011-08-28T20:19:35Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > Just had my son get the shovel out of the garage. Will report back shortly! Not good .. not good at all. BTW, Febreez is totally innefective at times like these. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![taffygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5a626/32.png) [@taffygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taffygirl)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/two-cemetery-related-questions/594407/6 "2011-08-28T20:34:27Z")
It was once customary to use both headstones and footstones. This is from a blog, but I think it’s accurate: > [@](#): > > Many ancient cemeteries in New England have lost this classic arrangement of headstones and footstones due to the footstones being broken when the grass is mowed. Sometimes, the footstone sinks into the ground, as it is usually smaller. > > All too often the person mowing the grass has removed the footstones to make the job of mowing easier. Remember, the body of the person is between the headstone and footstone! … > > Yes, this is supposed to look like a bed for sleeping. It was the intention for us to think our loved ones are sleeping until the day of reckoning when the souls of the dead are called to heaven. > > As this idea changed with the time period, people stopped paying for the footstones to be placed and the name or initials of the dead put on them. And here’s the link: [http://granite-in-my-blood.blogspot.com/2009/08/headstone-footstone.html](http://granite-in-my-blood.blogspot.com/2009/08/headstone-footstone.html)